Red-hot Delta stuns Kelly in Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament elimination game

In true high-scoring shootout fashion, No. 13 Delta survived an onslaught from No. 12 Kelly to win 96-69 with some high-efficiency scoring of its own, led by Ryan Jeffries and Paxton Hornbuckle to advance to the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament consolations semifinals.

Staving off elimination, Delta recovered from a disheartening loss to Notre Dame on Thursday afternoon, coming out and scoring 51 points in the first half and pushing out to an impressive victory against the Hawks.

Needing a spark, they’ve got it, and now the Bobcats have respect and consideration as a serious contender in the ranks of consolation favorites.

“Rebounding from yesterday was very important, to come out with a quick start,” Bobcats coach Toby Heeb said. “We didn't do that yesterday.

“We were a little flat and didn't take good care of the ball, so those were points of emphasis today. Play with a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm.”

For Kelly, it’s a second consecutive double-digit loss, dropping out of this year’s Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament in just two games and showcasing just how drastic the difference is between this year’s squad and last year’s.

In what Hawks coach Noel Trimmer describes as a “total rebuild,” graduation has stricken this Kelly squad hard, and the search for an identity has been a longwinded one as they search for momentum.

“We're trying to rebuild and find identity, but we haven't been able to do that yet,” Trimmer said. “This is a game that I thought that we had a chance to be in.

“We're getting out-hustled right now. I think when we're in the game, we play really, really hard.”

Kelly slips to 1-8 for the season, bowing out of the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament with an efficient effort against the Bobcats but coming up short, looking to need some gas defensively.

Senior guard Ross Peters scored 23 points to lead all Kelly scorers, while another 21 from classmate Skyler Still paced him to give Kelly a jolt offensively.

Delta’s record improves to 5-3 for the year, shooting forward from a hefty loss to the No. 4 Bulldogs with a notable victory over a Hawks team that finished fifth last year in this tournament.

Ryan Jeffries led all scorers with a ridiculous 35 points for the Bobcats, while Paxton Hornbuckle’s 24 and Bryce Cox’s 20 all made immense contributions to stealing Friday’s win.

“We know that when we're running the floor, we got a lot of fastbreak points and we can put up big numbers,” Heeb said. “Then, that makes the outside shots a little bit easier.

“Everybody's worried about us shooting layups. I think that's kind of what happened, you know? It's nice to know that these guys can do that and they're capable of it.”